Saturday, May 9, 2009

Cricut Settings Table

One thing that is absolutely critical to making the Cricut cut properly is to have the pressure, speed and depth of blade correct for the type of paper you are using. This, by far, is what makes or breaks your Cricut experience. No one wants to ruin expensive paper by accidently having the wrong settings in place and then shredding their paper! It's certainly happened to me enough times, especially when switching amongst different types of paper like going from heavy cardstock to thin patterned paper.

So as not to forget to check the settings each time before I cut, I created the table shown above, which visually reminds me to check the settings and also tells me what settings are appropriate. These are some good guidelines to follow, but may need some tweaking as the machines can be a little different from one another.

Another important tip to remember is to make sure the blade housing number is SQUARE ON facing you. I had mine slightly off center and none of my cuts looked good! I was ready to throw the Cricut out the window until a friend looked at it and immediately diagnosed that as the problem. Thank goodness for Tammy!

A good guideline to follow also has to do with how intricate the cut is that you are trying to make. The more detailed the cut, the SLOWER the speed. And vice versa. Keep that in mind when setting your machine.

Finally, I love to test my cuts on cardstock from Walmart. You can get a pack of 150 sheets of white cardstock (8.5 x 11) at Walmart for less than $6 and it has saved me from numerous mistakes. Look in the office suppy area for this. Another idea is to set your blade and pressure at 1 and watch how the cut moves across the page. It won't cut the page but will give you an idea of the size of the cut.

To snag a copy of my Cricut settings table, click HERE! I hope it helps you in your Cricutting adventures!

Thanks so much for sharing this information. I was becoming so frustrated with my cricut as it was just ripping my paper during cuts. I Googled 'cricut settings' and found your blog. I downloaded the table and tried it. And you know what...IT WORKED!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and helping others.

Thank so much Joy!Your tips are great. I have been having all those problems. What paper do you use for envelopes? I love the envelopes in Wild Card but I am having trouble with what to use. Card stock is too thick.Your videos are so helpful. I am going to try the thank you card you made with Storybook right now!Thanks again,Lindahttp://cardsbylinda.blogspot.com

Thank you... I saw this on Christmas with the Cricut regarding your 7 tips, and you're right about the new mats and thin patterned paper! I wish I had known this before. Oh well, thank you for the chart,this will help alot!Kathy

Thank you so much for the Cricut table!!! I am new to the Cricut machine even though I have had it a year. I think I have been intimidated by it. I decided that I want to use my machine and not let it sit any longer. I know if I can just figure it out that I will love it and use it all the time. I only had the Don Juan cartridge and it's boring. I got on e-bay and bought 3 new carts and hope that will help me get motivated. I love your blog and all the info you share with all of us. I am sure you hear it all the time but thanks again!

I am a new Cricuteer and was wondering what thickness chipboard you use? I have looked around on other blogs and there is a lot of varying opinion...I'm just too scared to put anything in my machine that might ruin it! Thanks for the settings table, it will definitely help all of us newbies!!

I cannot seem to download the settings chart - could you please email it to me: llsacorn@aol.com. Love your site - I just got my Expression and I love it. Also, can you tell me the top five - or ten - cartridges that you think a beginner needs? I don't do scrapbooking, but I was wondering if there are ones that you use for cards and other items. ThanksLauren

Thanks for all of your help. I have had my Cricut for over a year and used it very little. Now I am getting excited. I have one question. On the settings sheet it is in numbers but my cricut has low, med ect. How do I judge? Thanks

Thanks for sharing your table. I received my expression for Christmas and had some difficulty with some cuts, so I was saving scraps of different papers to do the same. You saved me from that clutter pile and headaches. Thanks a bunch!

Thank you so much for the free cutting table joy:) I was wondering would this table work the same for a deepcut cutting blade and housing. I only have the deepcut houseing & blade because when I bought my expressions the houseing and blade were missing. Please email your response whenever you have a chance:) Thank U Monica L. monita23@ca.rr.com

Thank you! I discovered your blog today and I've already watched a few of you videos. They're great, I can't wait to try some of the new things I saw in your videos. I have a question about the cutting guide. I've downloaded the one you have on your blog already. Do you have one for the deep cut blade? If so I'd love to see your suggestions for the cutting guide for that blade.

Here is my tip- actually my daughter thought of it. Her friend works at Lowe's and they were throwing away the wallpaper sample books. My daughter thought they would be great for card making. First I thought it was silly. However, I tried it in the cricut and the paper cuts great. The ugly pattern ones I use as a template so I don't ruin my good paper. This has been a money saver. I now have tons of junk paper to practice on first. Kgrin

I was just jumping over from Everyday Cricut and saw your cutting guide. I look at your blog almost everyday and somehow missed it. Thank you so much for sharing this. It is my biggest headache. I understand I will maybe have to tweak it for my machine but it gives me a good starting place. Again thank you so much!!!!!!! Made my day!

Thanks so much for the information on cutting. My biggest complaint is that I can't figure what size the cut will be. I'm thrilled to learn about putting pressure and blade depth at 1 to determine this! WooHoo!

This chart really helps a lot. I printed 2 copies so I can put one up for my machine and the other one for my friend. Thanks for the tips. Today I bought at Walmart the card stock. Just like you I also use it. A tip from me , if you cut intricate item off the cricut software, it best to cut it larger than small. Small intricate cuts get snagged on the blade.

hi this is so good but i am a little confused, because the cricut creative dont have numbers so i dont know what num is my creativethey have thismin-low-med-high-max some body can help me , sometime im filling like dummy :0 :)thanks

Your chart? A life saver! I worked for hours trying to cut out Belle's yellow dress....very detailed. I changed blades, mats, went through several pieces of cardstock... was ready to go by a new Cricut...I was sure it was broke! I decided Belle would just have to go to the Ball NAKED! She was not said, "Don't worry Gram...I will color the dress on her!" (and she did...very cute!) But wait, I logged into your site..and there it was A CHART...exactly what i needed...like MAGIC...Belle has a dress and we are all happy! Thank you sooo much for your help...You are a life saver...at least for poor Belle!

thank you so much for your table. It was exactly what I was looking fror. For those people having trouble converting numbers to high, med etc mine has the numbers on the dial and tells you the setting (like high) on the LCD screen. Also maybe rotate the dial and see how many positions each dial has and convert the numbers to the words. Just a suggestion.Thanks again for your great table. my cricut was tearing my paper too and I just couldn't seem to get the settings right!

Oh Joy, I have your site on my facebook and I love it. I can't thank you enough for the table for cutting for the cricut. I have the cricut expression and many times have been afraid to ruin my cardstock. Now I will have more confidence thanks to you Joy. Thank you again!

Joy, I have an Apple now and I am still getting used to it. I am having trouble downloading the chart for the settings. Could you possibly email it to me at jillybeank@gmail.com? I would so appreciate it!

Thank you so much for this!! My friend Suzi found this chart and let me in on it! I always have trouble remembering the settings but not anymore!!! Thank you so so very much! No more wasted paper for this scrapper!!

Joy.. this chart is a lifesaver.. thank you so much.. Have had my Cricut Exp. one year.. but it has intimidated me.. I know this will help...I am going to email you with a couple of questions.. Merry Christmas!

I also am having trouble downloading the chart...it says that the link is no longer available. If it wouldn't be to much trouble can you email the chart to me? srwaterman1@gmail.com.Thanks much and thanks for helping us new people out!

hi, I love all the new cartridges, but I especially love the Close to My Heart Art Philosophy Cartridge: there are beautiful tags and intricate stamps, the three dimensional flowers and bags. what's not to love. Thanks for all you do. I can actually use my cricut because of you. thanks

Thank you so much for posting this! However, I have a question...I cut vinyl all the time on my Cricut. I noticed that you have the blade setting at 6. Is this to cut all the way through the backing too? I usually have it set at 2, which only cuts through the vinyl, not the backing. I was just wondering how you did it. Thanks! Jenn

I just got my Expressions 2 machine today! Can't wait to try it out and this chart will really help. I love your website and will continue to explore it - can't wait to work on the Christmas cards. I will make some this year, maybe I can do them ALL next year. Thanks for your chart.

Thank you so much for sharing this!! I knew about the settings, but couldn't remember what was what when it came time to cut. Also, I had never heard about the housing. A great tip. My mother, my mother in law and my sister in law all have a fairly new cricut and they all call me because theirs is tearing their paper and they are all so frustrated. I will send them your link. Thank you so much, once again for all the people you have helped. The chart is great!!!

I just bought a Cricut Expression as a Christmas gift to myself. This chart will be a tremendous help. The first thing I tried to cut--didn't cut at all! Guess there is a learning curve here and the chart will be a big help.

Great information. Thanks. Here's another question you may have the answer to I hope. My cut never returns exactly to the same spot. For ex. if I cut a circle, the 2 end will be slightly 'off'. Any suggestions? Thanks

Thank you. That's so generous of you to share your chart. I read through all of the comments and found the same question I have, but never saw an answer. My Cricut goes by low/med/high, not a number system. Almost everything on the net (including your chart) refers to numbers. Do you have any idea how that translates or why I don't have numbers?Thanks!!Tammy

ThankYou4SharingAllOfYourHardWork WAllOfUs! Just As Another Tip WalMarts Wathercolor Paper Is GREATAnd NOT As EXPENSIVE As@ M______'sNor as @ H___y L___Y. WalMart's WaterColor Paper Holds-UpVery Very WELL,U can COUNT ON IT'sstability and Quality!

Hi Heather, The Cricut can cut lightweight cotton fabric. You must first iron on some heat'n bond. I have a post about this showing how to cut fabric in the Cricut - see here: http://www.obsessedwithscrapbooking.com/2011/10/autumn-napkins-with-cricut-paper.html

Thanks for all your tips. I have the expression for about 2 years and was so frustrated with it. Paper getting stuck onmat and ruining mats etc. No one had answers for me. thaks so much!!!!! I am going to try again!!

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